The present invention relates generally to the field of firearms and in particular to a new and useful recoil mechanism for short action firearms such as short barrel handguns and other firearms that require a reduced stroke length to cycle rounds.
The inventor's previous U.S. Pat. No. 7,493,845 discloses a recoil mechanism for a gun having a frame, a barrel and a slide, the mechanism having a cylinder with a rear part with external flange and an internal diaphragm spaced forwardly of the flange and between a rear chamber and a front chamber in the cylinder. A nut is fixed to the frame and an axle has a rear end threaded to the nut and extending in the cylinder. The axle has a collar trapped in the front chamber by the diaphragm. A first spring around the cylinder, has a front end abutting the slide and a rear end abutting the flange. A second spring extending at least partly in the rear chamber has a rear end abutting the nut and a front end abutting the diaphragm. A third spring in the front chamber, is shorter in length than the front chamber and a recoil adjusting plug is used with or without the recoil mechanism.
The inventor's U.S. Pat. No. 9,080,823 discloses a buffer assembly for an AR type firearm, having a rod and a cap with a forward end against which a bolt carrier pushes during a firing cycle. The cap is movable along the rod. A shock absorbing plug is attached to a rearward end of the rod for engaging an end wall of a receiver extension during an intermediate part of the firing cycle, a buffer tube is moveable on the rod, a buffer spring is engaged between the plug and the buffer tube for biasing the buffer tube toward a forward position and a counterweight is mounted for movement on the rod. A shock absorbing washer is provided between the counterweight and the cap for smoothing an impact between the counterweight and the cap at an end of the firing cycle and a counterweight spring that is weaker than the buffer spring, is provided for biasing the counterweight toward the cap.
The inventor's pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/930,901 filed Nov. 3, 2015 discloses a telescopic recoil system for a firearm having a receiver and a bolt carrier that includes a recoil system base, an axle fixed to the base, a central buffer tube slidably mounted on the axle, an axle buffer spring between the base and central buffer tube, biasing the central buffer tube away from the base, an outer tube slidably mounted on a forward portion of the central buffer tube, a spring buffer tube slidably mounted on a rearward portion of the central buffer tube, a rear buffer spring between the base and spring buffer tube, biasing the spring buffer tube away from the base, a central spring between the spring buffer tube and outer tube, biasing the outer tube away from the spring buffer tube and away from the base and an exchangeable spring between the outer tube and the bolt carrier, biasing the outer tube away from the bolt carrier. This mechanism is well suited to recoil systems for firearms having a long stroke but small diameter space to accommodate the mechanism.
Certain firearms, in particular but not exclusively short barrel autoloading pistols, have room for only a short loading cycle stroke. Examples include the Glock 26 and other autoloading firearms with 3 inch or shorter barrels, and handguns such as the STRIKE ONE and STRIKE TWO model pistols by Arsenal Firearms, which have block locking systems that use up a substantial portion of length in the frame under the barrel, that would otherwise house the recoil mechanism. See demonstrations of this type of pistol at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qufoD83K4PE and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wQjcMI0sYc.
A need remains for further improvements in the recoil and/or buffer mechanisms of firearms to accommodate short stroke loading cycles.